


If We're Not With You

by OMsRandomWriter



Series: Ohma vs DreamSMP [1]
Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (Because of dream not phil), (Seriously though this just kinda poppped into my head and it might not fit in with canon alot), Brief mentions of Sally the Salmon currently, Child Abuse, Dadza, Dream as ???, Dream is a hybrid of two mobs, Dream is not a good person, Evoker Hybrid Dream, Found Family, Gen, Hybrid Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrids, Illusioner Hybrid Dream, Kid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Kid Wilbur Soot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phil as a Tired Dad, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Techno and Wilbur are the same age, Techno as a Piglin, Technoblade's Chat is starting to come into being, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade are Siblings, Wilbur is a Wither Skeleton Hybrid, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Winged TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 12,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OMsRandomWriter/pseuds/OMsRandomWriter
Summary: Phil hadn’t planned on walking the trail that morning, but something pulled him off, towards the fenced off section of the woods where a ruined portal laid. To his amazement, or perhaps horror, on the other side, two small forms were leaning against the half collapsed obsidian. One, a young piglin with wisps of pink hair, and the other, a frail little boy that seemed closer to a skeleton than a human.It was in that moment that Phil knew: these two odd kids were his.-------------------------------------------------------Small word counter per chapter intended. Unknown amount of chapters planned.Updates once or twice a week
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Series: Ohma vs DreamSMP [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063496
Comments: 269
Kudos: 1265





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hahahaha, hi everyone, my phone died while I was listening to Techno telling Phil about the voices and the last thing I heard was Phil saying "you were always like that", so yeah, here we go, all aboard my take on "Phil raising Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy" train.

City life was something Phil didn’t like.

He wasn’t quite sure when he started to slowly hate how his life currently was, only that as he walked down the village path, he felt less and less tense as he got further away from the buildings.

The sun was only just barely rising from the east - his left - and the heat made him sigh and take off his cap long enough to run a hand through his hair.

The ground around the path got dryer and crispier; there was a nether portal that had come under disarray some years back that finally collapsed upon itself a couple of days ago, corrupting the land around it. The village watch had been quick to fence it off, unsure of how the others would react to the corruption. They were all fools, in his eyes.

Only piglins went corrupt if they were exposed to the other side.

As he reached the now barricaded path, he started to turn right, to head back, but there was something, a type of deep tug from the gut, telling him to go to the portal, to see how much damage had been done.

At first, Phil ignored it, and maybe in some universes, that day, he successfully managed to make it back to town, but in this one, like many, he found himself turning around and walking towards the iron fence, unsure what he was looking for until he saw it, or, rather,  _ them _ .

Two children, huddled together under the fallen arch, shivering as the wind picked up for a half a moment. He looked closer, and his heart sunk as he realized what he was seeing.

One was a human if you could even call him that. He was far closer to a skeleton than anything, with his ebony eyes and gaunt form. The second… a young piglin, who was shaking similar to how the adults always did before the corruption set in.

He kept his gaze on them, and, after perhaps a minute, the human boy looked up, their eyes meeting. He couldn’t have been more than three, no doubt unable to speak full sentences the way he needed to properly explain what happened, but there was no missing the unspoken plea.

_ Help us _

And that is how Phil found himself scaling the iron fence, doing his best not to cut his hands as he carefully lowered himself back to the ground, this time within the enclosed area. The piglin looked up, and while he was slightly cross-eyed, there was confusion, pain, and perhaps a little hint of fear. It was enough for Phil to crouch down and slowly crawl his way forward, trying to ignore the burning stones as he reached the steps in front of the children.

“It’s ok,” he murmured, slowly offering out a hand. “I won’t hurt you.” The two children looked at him, tense, and he murmured those words, over and over again. When he tried to shift forward more, they flinched back, making him stop.

What could he do? It’s not like he always had food on hi-

He had travel bars.

Kids liked those, right?

Slowly, making sure they could see what he was doing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the grain bars he had brought in case he decided to stay in the woods for the day. He offered it as far as he could reach, and he saw the boy slowly reach forward before almost snatching it from his hands and biting it eagerly before offering it to the other child, who was a bit more hesitant when it came to eating it.

“You like that then,” he murmured. “I have more, lots more, you just have to let me help you.” The children stopped eating as he spoke again, and if he was being honest, it felt like they were starting to listen. “I won’t hurt you; I just want to help.”

A pause, and then another…

By the count of his heartbeats, it was 54 later that the little boy reached forward and grasped his fingers with a single, tiny hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter mainly bc I'm not too far into the SMP


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left a kudos/bookmark! I honestly wasn't expecting so many this soon.
> 
> (Also, I edited the last chapter. I got Piglins and Hoglins mixed up, oops-)

He had managed to climb the iron fence with the boy in one arm, while the piglin kid watched, slowly inching forward to be with their human counterpart. So when Phil climbed back over and glanced at the second child, he wasn’t that surprised to see a neutral, if slightly displeased, face staring back.

The very first thing adventurers are taught before they’re allowed to enter the Nether is that piglins are very temperamental creatures and that you should always have gold visible on you.

It was a rule all adventurers did, even if they never stepped foot in the hellscape.

Not that Phil _hasn’t_ set foot in it, rather the opposite. He’s pretty sure, somewhere thousands of miles away in there, there’s a piglin named after him due to how much he once traded with that community.

So when he was finally able to pick up the little piglin, he wasn’t very surprised to see the young child reach out and grasp his gold chain necklace. “Tell you what,” he murmured. “You stay patient with me while I try to find a working portal to send you back, and I’ll give you my necklace,”

He reached the top of the fence and threw a leg over, taking a small moment to breathe as the child nodded, still grasping at his necklace and even tugging on it a little. With a chuckle, he awkwardly removed the chain and placed it around the child’s neck, grinning as they seemed to be taken with the glinting metal.

While they were distracted, he finished climbing, and the boy once again attached himself to his nether counterpart, but he was concerningly light enough to where it didn’t make a difference, and, suddenly, it came crashing down on Phil what he had just done.

If he were to even try to bring these kids to the village, the watch bells which were keyed into piglins would ring, and kids or not, they’d-

He glanced around before his gaze settled on the two paths. One curved back north, towards the village. It was neatly trimmed, well kept, and smooth. The other continued south and was jagged with rocks and overgrown vines. No one ever went south anymore, not since those three adventurers wronged that demi-god.

But the boy let out a little sniff, causing Phil to shift his cloak around them, and as he started walking down a path, he wondered if he was choosing the right one.

* * *

He found a cave about an hour in.

It wasn’t a particularly big cave, nor was it too shallow. It was slanted to where if water were to ever get in, it would roll out, and it was just big enough to allow Phil to squeeze in, so if any undead were to find them, they’d be unable to reach.

That being said, he quickly placed the two in the back and lit a campfire, doing his best to observe the smoke and make sure it wouldn’t fill the cave. ~~Many of his friends forgot that, and he always found them the next day in a cave where breathing had been impossible.~~ Turning towards the children, he gave them the other two bars. “Stay here,” he ordered. “I need to get a couple of things. Don’t move.”

He stood and started to leave when he heard a panicked cry, and immediately turned to see the piglin holding the boy back, the human(?)’s arms outstretched towards him. Phil debated on turning back around and leaving, but the boy let out the cry again, making him sigh and go back towards him. “I’ll be back,” he promised. The boy looked at him with those black eyes and sniffed, and the ex-adventurer wanted to curse at how soft he had gotten. He reached up and took off his green and white hat before placing it on the boy’s head. “Use this against me. I’ll want it back,” he warned as the boy reached up and grasped the edges, pulling the hat down further on his tiny head.

* * *

He didn’t linger in the village, instead heading straight to his house (though one could argue it was more of a shack than anything) and grabbed any supplies he could. ~~He couldn’t take his diamond sword out of his display case, not without alerting the Guild that he was active again, so he took an iron one as well as a shield.~~ Three bundles were grabbed, one for food, the other for camping supplies, and the last any clothes for both him and some shirts and pants he outgrew for the little ones.

Mother Moon, he really was doing this!

Pocketing the flint and steel and grabbing his torch, Phil took one last look at the house he had been staying in before walking out the door.

He did his best not to feel the netherite chains around his wrists.

* * *

He wasn’t sure where they were.

He just knew that the nice man gave him his hat and left them in a cave with a fire that reminded him of-

He heard his brother sniff beside him, and with that, he moved closer, his brother following a second later. They sat as close to the fire as they dared, and they watched as the sky went from blue to red.

It was getting darker too, ~~like the halls they ran around in.~~

Then, suddenly, there were footsteps, but his brother wasn’t on alert, so it was safe, right?

A couple of moments later, the man came through the opening and smiled at them, speaking that odd language. He just stared at him, not knowing what to do.

* * *

“Tough crowd,” Phil mumbled as neither child reacted to his joke. Moving to sit beside them, he took off his cloak and pulled out the food bundle, glancing between the two. Did piglins eat vegetables? They were _technically_ pigs, right? Well, he’s never seen a young one so up close, but he was pretty sure they weren’t so tiny. And that wasn’t even considering the boy who was watching him. Finally, he pulled out some rabbit, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. “How about some stew then?”

Luckily, the lightweight cauldron was able to both fit in a bundle and hold enough food for them all, and as he watched them devour the stew, he couldn’t stop the slight smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a comment any time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This is, uh, yeah...
> 
> Anyways, have some more Sleepy Bois moments-
> 
> Ages:  
> Phil: 22  
> ???: ??  
> Techno: 3  
> Wilbur: 3

The boys ~~(at least he thought the piglin child was male)~~ seemed to be at ease in the cave and slept peacefully, but Phil couldn’t - wouldn’t - sleep. There would be nothing stopping one of the smaller undead from entering, and he’d had his fair share of bad encounters with the smaller ones.

As dawn broke, he let the campfire snuff itself, instead choosing to walk around the cave to both stretch and see if anyone had been by. So far, the closest thing he saw was a giant spider. At least when it saw him, it scurried away, deeper into the woods.

About an hour after dawn, he saw the little piglin stick his head out, and by then, Phil had a plan half-formed on where to go. So far, the only working portal he knew of was some hundred miles southwest, in a place called Dresump. It would be about a month hike and then a week of boating over the sea to get to it, but the portal was said to be well kept and close to a big piglin population.

“Hello little ones,” he murmured as the kid came out of the cave, the boy behind him. The piglin seemed to be watching his hands, and when Phil followed his gaze, he winced and pulled his sleeves down. “That’s nothing to worry about,” he tried, letting the human child grab his hand. “Do you two want to walk?”

The boy looked up at him, not a single glimpse of understanding in his eyes.

“Right, thought so,” he sighed, slowly standing up and grinning in amusement as the boy tried to rise as well, managing to get to his tiptoes before stumbling. Phil caught him with a hand on his chest, and he could faintly hear the piglin boy snort in amusement. “You’ll hurt yourself,” he found himself saying.

After a moment, he stood up straight again, but this time, the boy didn’t try to move on his tiptoes again, instead holding out his free hand to the other boy, who took it a moment later. With a mental nod, he set off, gently tugging the boys along behind him.

* * *

This went on for perhaps a week and a half.

Phil did his best to make sure that every night, without fail, they were somewhere safe, and every so often, he was able to sleep, if only to ensure the phantoms didn’t terrorize them on those rainy days. Of course, when he couldn’t find a cave, he’d fashion a, well, shack was a loose term, but it had a roof, four walls, and a door, so he couldn’t really complain.

It was nothing like the houses he used to make.

Shaking his head, he turned back to the sleeping children at his side, the piglin clutching the red cloak while the boy held the dark blue, and he sighed. “What am I going to do?” he said to himself. Part of him wanted to adventure again; to drop the children off where they came from and then travel back to where he had once officially called home, but…

They were just kids, and even if the piglin boy was accepted into a new clan, the human one… the nether might be a bit more hospitable now, but it was still no place for children to live in. Of course, that was even assuming the two would be willing to separate. From what he’s seen, they might not want to.

“I can’t keep calling them the kids… but if I name them, then I’m attached,”

The little boy let out a mumble in an… odd language before shuffling closer, pressing his face against Phil’s side, and he found himself relaxing.

_Maybe getting attached isn’t such a bad idea…_

* * *

“So how about James? Maybe Mark?”

The boys just kept looking at him as he walked, one in each arm. The piglin still had his gold chain, though he could feel his hands on his wrist, ~~as if trying to feel for the cuff~~ -. The human boy was just looking at him with wide eyes, his face less skeletal thanks to the constant meals.

“Hmm…” he glanced at the boy grasping the blue cloak and grinned. “How about Wilbur?” Finally, there was a spark, recognition in those black eyes as the boy grinned. "Wilbur. That's a wonderful name."

Phil turned to the piglin and hesitated. Did he give him a human name, or should he guess a piglin name? It was rare that piglins could talk Common, so when they did, they often said their name as best as they could, and it usually was based off of a weapon. "What about you then, hmm? What's your name little one?"

Just as he expected, the little boy didn't say a word, and it made Phil hesitate. "How about… hmm, usually you have a weapon name, so… Blade?"

There was a slight glimpse of acknowledgement that had Phil sighing in relief. So part of his name was Blade then that was easy enough to call him, he supposed.

"Wilbur and 'Blade," he said. "Let's get a move on, shall we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dresump is the area I'm calling the DreamSMP. Currently, if I had to pinpoint an exact location, Phil, Techno, and Wilbur would be between Phil's Hardcore area and the SMP. The Hardcore events hasn't happened yet (it'll happen around the time Tommy is 11 and extend to when Phil enters the DSMP)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Techno's voice* DID SOMEBODY ORDER ANGST?!

When Phil started off that day, he had a half-formed plan, and let it be known adventurers with half plans are the ones who get in the most trouble.

The first night, it was raining and there were no caves or trees in sight, forcing the three to continue on through the night. The second night, there was very little dry wood thanks to a swamp, so the boys huddled close to him as he did his best to keep them all warm.

On the third day, Wilbur developed a cough. Normally, given the generally cold weather of the current country, he wouldn’t have thought much of it, but he was still too skinny, and he was colder than the blonde would’ve liked. So, Phil did the one thing he was trying not to do.

He took the boys into a village.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a large one, and while he did get odd looks, the residents just continued on their way. A second prayer was answered when a church was seen in the middle of town, a cleric just a few feet away.

“Help!” He called out, making the cleric look at him. Mutated humans were, well, different than regular humans. Most merely had longer arms and a longer skull, but there were a few that had animal ears, tails, or even wings. They also had a hard time speaking Common, if only because of how their brain was wired. Stalish was a difficult language, spoken in undertones and hums, but it could be learned with the right patience, and thankfully, Phil’s patience had paid off.

“What is the matter with him?” The cleric - a woman now that he had a closer look at her - demanded.

“I found them both outside of a collapsed portal about two weeks ago and I’ve been traveling to Dresump ever since. Wilbur, he has a cough.” He nodded to the shaking boy, and the Cleric bowed her head.

“Of course, this way.” she didn’t even glance a second time at ‘Blade before guiding him into the church. “Lay him on the table. How long has he been like this?”

“A couple of days,” he admitted. “We were nowhere near a village when it started, and I’ve been running ever since.”

“And…” the cleric trailed off. “Is he… completely human?”

“I-” Phil stopped and took a deep breath, thinking back to when he had found the boys. Wilbur had gotten more weight on him, and some color as well, but what changed the most was his eyes going from that black to brown. “His eyes were pure black when I found them. And he was near skeletal.”

“He is very large for his age,” she agreed before murmuring “I wonder…” and moving towards a small knife. “I’d like to attempt a small bloodlet if possible.”

“Why?” he asked, subconsciously putting his arm in front of Wilbur.

“There is a high possibility he’s a hybrid, and if he’s the hybrid I think he is, traditional healing won’t work on him,” she explained kindly, and he thought it over carefully before nodding and picking up ‘Blade, keeping him on one side and Wilbur leaning up against him on the other, pinned down with his free arm. “It’ll just be a quick prick on his finger, but it should be enough to know the color of the blood.”

He nodded again, watching as Wilbur squirmed a little as the tip poked his finger, and then…

Black ichor came out.

“What does that mean?” he asked quietly.

“Withers bear the color of mourning,” she replied in the same tone. “You said he was skeletal? He could quite possibly be that of a wither skeleton gene.”

“But how can someone adapt that gene? All it does is decay and suffocate.” he protested.

“Perhaps those who healed wrongly, or maybe it’s simply a bloodline curse. It doesn’t change the fact he’s still just a little boy.” She chided.

“I- yeah, you’re right.” He felt ‘Blade wiggle, trying to escape his grasp. “How can he get better?”

“You caught it in time; any later and it would be far more than a cold. I’d advise you stay here three or four days, give him enough time to rest before you head out again,” she said, putting everything back and pulling out a vial of… some grey potion.

It wasn’t quite the invisibility one, but… “What is that?”

“Something to help the mutants who have more dangerous genes, seeing as their body tends to reject healing magicks. I wouldn’t recommend tasting it yourself. Or your other little one.”

“Of course, thank you,” he stood up, carefully putting the potion in a bundle and then picking up the two boys.

“Make sure you take care of them,” the cleric called as he walked away. “They carry great waves in their wake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, Minecraftia Lore go brrrr, Ohma's lore is in charge now.
> 
> But yeah, Wither Skeleton Hybrid! The lore I have for it helps explains how and why Wilbur goes mad later on.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst today, but on this chapter is focused on Techno hearing the "Chat" voices since he was young :)

‘Blade, as it turned out, wouldn’t, or perhaps couldn’t, sleep in beds. The poor kid was tossing and turning before giving up and looking out the window the three days they stayed in the village.

“You gotta sleep kiddo,” Phil sighed around 2 am the last night there. “We’ll be traveling again in the morning and you’ll get grumpy if you don’t.”

The piglin didn’t even look at him as he stared out the window, making the adult sigh and reached for him

Only to flinch back as he barely avoided getting bit.

‘Blade’s eyes went wide, and suddenly, he dove under the bed, making the adventurer curse as he knelt down. The kid was curled up in a ball, shaking. “Hey, it’s ok! You’re just a little crabby, that’s all,” he soothed. “Come on out and I’ll see if I can do something that’ll help you sleep, yeah?”

The piglin just curled in deeper, making him sigh before getting down on his back and slowly crawling under as well. “It’s ok,” he murmured, gently pulling the kid into a hug. “It’s ok. I forgive you. You didn’t mean to.”

* * *

‘Blade’s odd behavior didn’t stop there.

Sometimes, when they’d pass the wild sheep and cows, he’d attack them, and while he did no lasting damage, it was enough to make Phil concerned. So, when he went scouting for some fresh water and maybe a fish or two, and came back to Wilbur in a corner with ‘Blade standing over him, his heart dropped.

“What are you doing?!” he yelled, making both of the boys flinch and look up, ‘Blade curling up into himself like all the other times before. Not caring if the fish hit the cave floor, he went over to Wilbur, trying to make sure he wasn’t hurt. When he was certain he’d just be a little bruised, he turned to the piglin, who was sitting in the other end of the cave.

Taking a deep breath, Phil went over to him and knelt in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he asked, doing his best to keep his tone soft. “What’s wrong?”

The piglin boy stared back, those pink wisps of hair getting in his eyes. Eyes that held such fear, it made Phil’s heart hurt.

What was happening to his ward?

* * *

“For all intents and purposes, it seems healthy,” the cleric hummed, tilting his head and almost purposefully ignoring Phil’s exclamation of ‘ _ he _ ’. “Though, most piglins would turn corrupt and die by now with no magic from the Nether to pull from.”

“Well,  _ Blade _ is a strong  _ boy _ and knows  _ he _ ’s going to return home soon,” Phil retorted. “My only concern is why he’s suddenly violent and fearful of everything.”

“Corruption isn’t always my physical,” the cleric answered. “It might have psychological corruption. It’s best if you-”

“Don’t you even dare finish that sentence,” he snarled. “You’re nothing more than a nitwit in stolen robes. C’mon boys,”

He extended a hand to ‘Blade as he picked up Wilbur, ignoring the man’s sputters over the insult. As they left the village, he looked down at the boy walking beside him. “You’re stronger than you believe. Don’t ever forget that. You’ll find that strength like that? It never dies.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking liberties on how big the Dream DMP borders are, as well as where exactly the "spawn" is. Skip the endnotes if you don't want to know the boring details.
> 
> Anyways, a screenshot of the quick ship I built for reference is in the chapter; it's nothing like Phil would build, unfortunately.

They came to the coast and, suddenly, the boys kept clinging to him.

It was hard to set up the boat when he had to keep turning around and prying Wilbur off his leg and ‘Blade off of his coat. Normally, he’d be willing to just make a regular two man boat, but Wilbur being sick flashed in his head again, so he merely created a boat that had a small room where they could sleep at night, in relative warmth.

Unfortunately, it took about a week to make sure everything was safe and fully in place.

And then, of course, the day it took to actually get supplies and make sure everything was properly secure before loading up and setting off. And that’s, of course, when he discovered something both distressing and amusing.

Both of the boys get seasick easily. 

He had hoped that they could quickly adapt, but they just stayed sick, which led to long nights curled up on the wool beds, trying to get them to sleep, and saltine crackers and rabbit broth in hopes that they kept _something_ down.

About four days in, the wind stopped, and the sea was almost too calm, allowing them a small breather, but Phil was tense, waiting to see what would come for them. He didn’t sail often, but he heard enough horror stories of sailors who thought calm water meant easy sailing. On that day, Wilbur and ‘Blade seemed to get better, and while they were still wobbly when they walked, they were able to keep down more than a handful of crackers and half a bowl of soup.

And that, of course, is when the storm hit.

At first, it was just a light drizzle, enough that he wasn’t overly concerned, but as the wind picked up and the rain came down faster and faster, he quickly got the boys in their cloaks and tied them to a rope before tying the other end around himself. Not the best, he knew, but it was the only thing he could think of should either go overboard.

No one slept that day, and Phil realized with a sickening feeling- he hadn’t slept in a while due to one of the boys always sleeping when one was awake.

He barely heard the screech through the thunder and pulled the two under him as he covered them with his body, pain lacing through his body as something latched onto his shoulder. It shook as if it was trying to tear his shoulder off before letting go, and he wasted no time running into the cabin, the water up to the bottom of the beds as he frantically shut the shutters.

As he sat down, he could feel the two grabbing either arm, making him hiss as Wilbur grabbed a little to close to the still bleeding wound.

“Not there,” he murmured, pulling them away and getting the still thankfully dry medkit and slowly peeling off his shirt, wincing as his shoulder throbbed with every move. Glancing up, he saw tears in Wilbur’s eyes, and he saw ‘Blade shaking as the thunder cracked…

And Phil sighed, offering the wrap towards the piglin and the gauze to the boy. “You two want to help me?”

 ~~Later, when the storm calmed down and the boys were too tired to fuss about falling asleep, he redressed it properly, but he’d never tell them.~~ It was a learning experience.

It was only two days later when he realized:

_One of his cuffs was broken._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to https://www.chunkbase.com/apps/seed-map#5826025064014972987, I'm able to see the DreamSMP map, and to the North of the spawn, there's a 1,000 block long ocean. Every block in Minecraft is 3 meters long, which means, in theory, the ocean is at least 3 kilometers long. (And, of course, every 1 kilometer is 0.62 miles)
> 
> Sadly, I couldn't get a good grasp on nautical travel vs regular travel, but I do know baring any travel complications, the standard sailboat can travel 115 miles per day. Dividing 1864.5 by 115 leaves the Sleepy Bois at roughly sixteen days traveling down the ocean, and that's with no complications.
> 
> Good god, I'm starting to sound like Technoblade.
> 
> Anyways, with that math in mind, I also realized I had it to where they would only be boating across for a week. This allowed me to tack in any travel complications that I wanted to add in, such as no wind, or a storm for a couple of days.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this. This is the closest to being the engineer my mother wanted me to be as I will ever be.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, so yeah, happy holidays everyone! This will probably be the last update before Christmas unless I'm able to squeeze a chance tomorrow.

His back itched, and he knew why, but with the other cuff still intact, he had to brave through it.

It only got worse, and the boys noticed as they finally got off of the ship and onto Dresump’s shores. “Two weeks,” he murmured, hand going to their heads and ruffling their hair. Thankfully, they were able to find a wandering trader and barter the ship off for more bundles and supplies.

For the first three days, it was usually just Phil talking by himself, but when he woke up, Wilbur was already awake, poking at the fire with a stick. “What’re you doing then?” the blonde asked in amusement, making the boy look up and grin.

“Fee,”

He blinked, not quite comprehending what was happening. “Wil?”

“Fee!” The boy grinned a bit brighter and-

Oh.

_Oh!_

“You’re saying my name,” he murmured, moving to sit beside the boy. “Phil, Wilbur. _F-ill_ ,”

“Peel?”

“ _Phil_ ,”

“Peel!”

He couldn’t stop his shoulders from shaking as the boy kept saying his name wrong, but he just _kept chanting peel_ , and it was too much for the man. ‘Blade woke up with a grumble, giving the two an annoyed look, especially as Wilbur seemed to break his quiet spell and just _babble_.

As he made breakfast, Phil found himself nodding and ‘mhm’ing, unable to properly explain the emotions he felt as he heard the little boy finally speak after weeks of traveling together. He kept a closer eye on ‘Blade, who seemed… distant.

~~Was he upset because he couldn’t talk as well?~~

As they traveled that day, ‘Blade walked beside him while Wilbur decided to crawl on Phil’s back, ~~causing the itching to get worse.~~ “We only have a week of traveling left,” he found himself saying. "Then you'll be back in the nether, and hopefully we'll be able to find your clans."

He was supposed to be happy that they were going back to their families. That the boys were going to be where they belonged.

So why did it make him want to weep at the thought?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phil: don't get attached.  
> Phil: *names the boys*  
> Phil: haha, why don't I want them to leave?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! I hope y'alls are far better than mine.

There were only a few villages in Dresump, so he had to make every visit count.

Even as he came to the last day of the journey, he did him best to laugh and smile at Wilbur’s rambling (he  _ swore _ he heard something about  _ anteaters _ in there) while he managed to find a book that ‘Blade seemed very interested in.

It was very… odd, reading about war, but seeing the peaceful look on the piglin’s face made it worth it. “ _ Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory. One: he will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. Two: he will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. Three: he will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. Four: he will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. Five: he will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. _ ”

He paused, feeling a weight shift itself onto him, and when he glanced down, his heart stuttered a bit as he saw the boy leaning up against him. He was just barely awake, nuzzling his coat and making Phil smile and continue on. “ _ Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. _ ”

* * *

From atop the treeline, a masked man in green stared down, the frozen mouth slowly twisting into a smile.

He was gone by the time the three woke.

* * *

When Phil first saw the portal, he wasn’t expecting to see just how much…  _ impact _ a properly cared for portal could do. Gilded Blackstone, crying obsidian, and various other blocks were all scattered around the quartz and netherrack as if beckoning them to enter.

Wilbur’s and Blade’s faces had brightened so much, it caused his heart to ache, making his whole body feel like a warzone as every step he took, something in him was screaming to not take the boys back.

But he pushed forward.

The boys, they looked so much happier in the nether, and it would be cruel, to keep nether hybrids and natives away.

At least, he kept telling himself as they walked through the obsidian gateway, the world spinning as his grip on the boys immediately went slack, panic building up in him as he spun around, his heel catching the ledge between the obsidian and Blackstone bricks.

As he fell on his back, the wind left him, and he could hear Wilbur’s and ‘Blade’s laughter as he managed to catch his breath and slowly push himself up…

To see the shaft of a crossbow pointed at him. He went to grasp his gold chain, realizing a second too late that ‘Blade still had it.

There was a thump on the back of his head and the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actual quotes from Sun Tzu's Art of War! ... I think?
> 
> It's what I found, and I love the idea of baby Techno having Phil read him the book as a bedtime story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mer Crisis
> 
> I'll be posting two chapters tomorrow: one from Techno's pov and one from Wilbur's.

Phil, surprisingly, woke up.

Well, perhaps it’s not surprising to you, but to him, it was as if he had won the lottery, the reward being life. He was laid on a pile of hay, his cloak draped on him, and there was an elderly piglin sitting in the corner, observing him.

“I’m not dead?” He asked.

“Young Techno spoke up before the shot could be fired, and Young Master Wilbur agreed,” the piglin rasped. He spoke… very clearly. Almost  _ too _ clearly.

“You’re a shifter,” he said. “Techno, the little piglin boy who was with Wil?” Why did he like the name ‘Blade then? At the thought of the piglin boy, his entire body jolted. “Are they safe?”

“My grandson and his fellow are resting,” he said, neither confirming or denying the shifter comment, but Phil relaxed all the same. “You did the Blade clan a great service, Master…?”

“Philza,” the blonde replied. “I’m glad they’re save. Those first few days were rough.”

“Wilbur has told us such,” the elder let out a huffy laugh but quickly stopped due to a coughing fit. “I thank you, Master Philza, for returning my heir to me, but I must request that you leave at once. Your reward will be dealt with as you leave.”

Every part of him was screaming not to leave, to try and find the boys, but instead, he nodded and slowly stood before bowing and walking away.

He missed the mourning screams over the sounds of ghasts and the other piglins echoing throughout the fortress.

* * *

As much as Phil tried to leave any thought of going back through the portal behind, he lingered.

He spent nights in a thatch hut, and days laying traps and mining, all the while wondering why he couldn’t stop thinking of the two little boys he had saved those months ago. Then, of course, his coat ripped, to the point where he couldn’t fix it, so he dug through the pockets, trying to make sure he wouldn’t miss anything.

His fingers brushed paper.

His brows furrowed, and he pulled up the folded piece, trying to remember the last time he had paper-

_ “Wilbur, what are you doing with that quill? You’ll poke your- ‘Blade, why are your hands covered in ink?! _ ”

The ship, on that off day, he had been trying to teach the boys how to fold paper into origami and Wilbur had gotten a hold on a quill, and ‘Bl- _ Techno _ had gotten into ink…

Blinking, he unfolded the paper, breath catching at the image before him.

Three words were written in the nether version of Stalish, but it still translated like the overworld version.

_ Me _

_ Brother _

_ Dad _

His eyes stung, and as he wiped them, he found himself clutching the paper, shoulders shaking as, unknownst to him, the masked man in green sat and contemplated what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how about that Philza angst?


	10. Techno's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A request was made for Techno and Wil to have their own POV chapters after being returned, so I'm gonna post them now, seeing as it makes most since considering what's about to happen with Phil's next chapter!

Techno watched as his father readied to pull the trigger, and both Wilbur and he moved, putting themselves in front of the man - Phil.

 _Technoprotect_ , one of the voices murmured, causing the others to echo it.

“Move out of the way,” he growled.

“He saved us! He-he gave me his nether gold so I wouldn’t corrupt!”

For a few moments, he could see his aunt and father giving each other a look before they nodded and he found himself drawn into a tight hug. “What did your mother always tell you about portals?!”

“Not to go near them,” he mumbled. “But the ground collapsed and then the portal sucked us in!”

“Where’s Ma?” Wilbur quietly murmured from where he was kneeling beside Phil.

“Hex, the Soot clan should be in the southeast catacombs,” his murmured, and his aunt nodded.

“Come along, Young Master. Your grandmother is very worried.”

“And Ma?”

Aunt Hex didn’t say anything, and something in the back of his mind hissed.

_Beware_

* * *

Phil was unconscious for a long time.

Longer than he had ever been before.

If his grandfather hadn’t laughed and said Phil was fine, he’d almost be worried, but instead, he was with Aunt Hex and the healer, doing a thorough check for corruption.

“And I would assume this is the human’s gold then?”

“He gave it to me,” Techno said, hands going to grasp the metal chain. “It’s nether made.”

“Hmm… I don’t recognize the pattern now that I think of it,” Aunt Hex murmured. “I’ll bring Bel to look at it.”

“Almost looks as if it was made for a high standing hybrid,” the healer agreed. “But the man is completely human by our terms.”

“He had chains around his wrists. One of them broke,” he told them. “When it broke, he looked so happy, but he was in pain too.”

His aunt snorted. “You’re trying to weasel out of this Techie,”

The healer, however, looked conflicted. “Did they look like this?”

The chains were held up, and he could hear his aunt let out a disgusted noise as he nodded. “Yes! Did you manage to get the other off of him? Phil was nice, even when he didn’t have to be.”

He missed the look his aunt gave the other piglin.

* * *

Wilbur wasn’t around as often, and when he was, he was clutching this weird blue thing.

“Ma gave it to me,” he had explained quietly. “She said if you hold it long enough, the Blue’ll take your sadness away, and then you’ll need to throw it out.”

“That’s weird,” the piglin said. Wilbur offered him some and he took it. “Why give me some?”

“You talk about Phil a lot. Ma says it means we miss him.”

Techno thought back to the blonde man with the striped hat, and subconsciously, his grip on the Blue tightened. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I guess I do miss him a little.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing baby Techno is weird. Also, more Ohma lore that can translate into Dream SMP lore without so many issues!


	11. Wilbur's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the request! We get a bit more lore on why Phil has custody of his kids :)

Ma wasn’t getting better.

Pa was still looking for a way to stop her wither blood from decaying her human cells, but every time he came back, he’d look sadder and sadder.

“Wilbur,” his mother murmured, and he was instantly at her side, grinning as her hand ruffled his hair. “I have a question for you dear.”

“Yes Ma?”

“That man who brought you back…” she paused and licked her lips. “Would you like to see him again?”

See… Phil again? His chest hurt at the thought of the blonde man, with his smiles and hugs and… “Phil was nice,” he mumbled. “I like Phil. I-I miss him…”

Ma smiled, and he felt her slip something into his hand; Blue, he realized a second later. “Would you like to see him again, dearest?”

He nodded, his grip tightening on the blue. “Yes,” he finally said. “I want to see Phil.”

* * *

When he woke up the next day, Ma was missing.

Pa was sad, and when Wil asked about Ma, he had just smiled. “We decided you should… you should go back to Phil,” his father murmured.

“How long do I get to stay with him?”

“For however long you want,” Pa answered, and to Wilbur’s child mind, he didn’t catch what was really happening.

* * *

“Technoblade! Technoblade!”

Wil giggled at his clan brother’s face, especially as he saw him sitting on the netherbrick wall. “What do you want Wilbur?”

“We’re gonna visit Phil soon; I heard Pa and your grandfather say so!”

The piglin boy’s eyes seemed to brighten in curiosity. “When was this?”

“About ten minutes ago,” he answered. “They talked about a lot of weird things. Ally Ance and stuff from that weird book Phil kept reading to you.”

“Wilbur,” the Piglin looked at the hybrid carefully. “Do you age like a human or a wither skeleton?”

“Ma says I age like her, and she always said human.” he replied. “Why?”

“Piglins age fast,” Techno shrugged. “I’m three, but also nine.”

“So you know what they’re saying?” Wil sat up a little straighter.

“I’m not going to spy on my grandfather Wilbur.”

* * *

“I can’t believe we’re spying on Grandfather!”

Wil giggled from behind the not-wall, laying on his stomach as Techno was beside him, a mean look on his face. “What’re they saying?”

“Shh!” after a few seconds, Techno’s ears twitched. “Clan Soot and Clan Blade are officially in an alliance… We plan to march against Clan Marks in two weeks time…”

“What does that mean?”

Techno was silent before he looked at Wilbur, his eyes wide and face pale. “Our parents are going against another, stronger Clan… they’re going to die.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now back to our regularly scheduled program!

When Phil woke up to a piglin covered in pure gold staring down at him, his first thought wasn’t to go for his sword, but, rather, wondering why they had come out of the nether.

“Why are you here?” He asked, and the piglin merely motioned for him to follow, which he hastily did, merely putting his boots on and grabbing a light cloak. He had been lingering around the portal for almost two months now, unsure of why, but he was grateful he hadn’t pushed himself to move the day before like he had planned to.

During the trek through the fortress, he could see far more piglins, all decked out in either gold or netherite armor, looking grim as they  _ nodded _ to him.

Finally, they came to a familiar room, where the elderly piglin from before was sitting in front of a desk. “What’s going on?” Phil asked.

“Annihilation, Master Philza. A stronger Clan has announced war against us, swearing to kill every who hold our blood,”

His breath caught. “The boys?”

“Since Clan Soot is allied with yes, Young Master Wilbur also faces this threat,” came the answer. “We have been trying to make sure they do not know; they have experienced enough fear as it is. We have one request, however.”

“The Blade is marching to war and death; Techno  _ cannot _ be a part of this path. Wilbur’s clan fell just an hour ago. They will be killed without hesitation if they’re found here.”

His heart froze, mind unwillingly imagining the two, huddled together, blades pointed-

“I’ll take them,”

He wasn’t sure how long the silence lasted, only that he was still dazed by his own words as the elder piglin nodded towards one of the guards. “My grandson is much closer to his grandmother in terms of hyrbids,” he finally murmured. “I blocked his abilities due to how rare Piglin shifters are.”

“What does that mean?”

“He has human features, but for the most part, he is a piglin. He’ll have the snout, ears, tail and hooves, but everything else will be like you. Binding him, it allowed him to corrupt like a piglin, but once unbound, your world will pose no more threat to him than it does to you.”

Phil forced himself to swallow, unsure of what to say.  _ His _ world went up in flames when his village was raided and set ablaze. When the knights of the capitol saw his wings, and decided it would be too much of a pain to cut them off, instead putting the suppression chains around his wrist.

“I’ll keep them both safe,” he promised.

“Not in that state,”

* * *

And that’s how Phil found himself shirtless in a piglin forge, cringing as the blacksmith brought out a large, netherite coated saw. Two others kept his body still while another held his right arm still.

He wasn’t sure how long it had taken, but as the cuff broke and his arm stung from the many cuffs, it was worth it to see his wings materializing, the grey, black, and white gradient feathers go flying all over the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell I'm in love with the idea of Phil with wings?


	13. Chapter 13

“ _Peel_!”

The blonde laughed ( ~~maybe he was crying a little~~ ) as he caught Wilbur and hugged him tightly. “Hey kiddo,” he said. “I missed you too.” Techno was beside his grandfather, and when Phil looked at him…

A human face with blood-red eyes, a pig snout, and small tusks stared back, looking… scared? Apprehensive? His hair was still pink, and it was longer, strands that weren’t pulled back falling into his face. His grandfather said something that had the boy walking over to him. After a second, he let go of Wil with one arm and extended it to him.

Another second later, Techno was hugging him, shaking, and at that moment, Phil knew that the boy knew what was going on.

* * *

It was raining as they walked out of the portal, and instinctively, Phil felt his wings materialize, arching over his head and covering the three, making Wilbur gasp and point to them. As they reached the shack he set the boys down and almost subconsciously shuddered his wings, flicking the water off.

Moving to sit beside the cooking cauldron, Wilbur sat beside him, gaze glued to his wings as Techno sat across from him, not looking anywhere. “Are you alright Techno?”

The boy was silent, making Phil wonder if he could begin to speak common before he answered. “Fine,” It was short, and somewhat monotone, but it had Phil blinking in shock before he grinned.

“‘Fine’ has a lot of meanings, but I think right now, ‘fine’ is perfectly ok,” the blonde glanced at Wilbur, who pulled back a hand from where he had tried to poke his wing. “You’ve never seen wings like these, have you? Here,” he lowered a wing, trying to bring the softer feathers closer. His flight feathers were sharp, and before, he had been a one-man army in the air.

The boy’s eyes lit up, and he started to reach forward before hesitating, looking at the blonde, who nodded, and a second later, Wilbur poked at his wing. Some feathers fell, and the boy’s face instantly looked devastated.

“You have chickens there, but I don’t have their wings,” he laughed, grabbing the fallen down feathers and twirling one between his fingers. “You didn’t hurt me Wil. I’m fine.” Seeing the boy still have a watery look, he took the feather and dragged it under the boy’s eyes and then tapped his nose with it. The boy let out a giggle, making Phil smile and offer the feather to him. “Take it, it’s yours now,”

Wilbur’s smile as he clutched the little down would be something Phil swore to remember forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Techno will get his own feather soon! I just adore the idea that if Phil has wings, he'd give each of his kids one of his feathers-


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slams hands down* WHO WANTS MORE LORE?!

There are four types of subraces for each species.

You have the Normals; those who were either an average joe or a regular pig. Nothing special or odd. They were the most common of the subraces.

Secondly, there were the Hybrids. They were a combination of two species, be it from a curse or… well, let’s not say. In any case, they always had a trait from each species. A Piglin hybrid might have human hands, but piglin feet, or a wither skeleton hybrid might appear completely human, but if you were blood let them and remove a bone, both blood and bone would be black as night.

Then there were the Shifters. They could appear to be human one moment, and animal the next. Most who appeared to be wild animals held very little in the sense of kin, often choosing to live by themselves. Foxes are the only exception to this to date.

Finally, there were the mutants. Not quite Hybrids or Shifters, but equally, if not more, smarter. Their unusual appearance always sold them out as mutants, so they mainly operate from the shadows, only stepping forth should they need.

At least, those were the rules Phil was taught.

Growing up as a hybrid in a hybrid village, he could easily let his wings show and fly around constantly, however, after the raids and near extermination, he had to sit back and reassess what he had grown up knowing.

One: Hybrids were considered worse than Shifters

Two: Mutants were the ones who ordered the hybrids to be hunted.

Three: Shifters and Hybrids never really got along, but after the decree, Shifters banded together to aid their cousin subrace.

Four: the mutant in front of him, donned in the white mask while holding his wards up with either arm had no intention of taking prisoners.

* * *

_ Perhaps we should rewind a little. _

* * *

Wilbur had fallen into the river when he had been teaching the boys how to fish, and in his haste, Phil had forgotten to retract his wings, so when morning came, both him and the boy had caught the chills, leaving Techno to worry over both, despite the blonde waving him off.

Phil had only gotten sick because of his wings being wet, so once they were properly dried and preened, he could instantly feel a difference. Wilbur, however…

“He’s hot,” Techno announced, having picked up Stalish easily once Phil had started to teach them.

Phil nodded, standing up and going to the door. “I’ll go get some fresh water. Keep fanning him,”

As he left, he made sure to block the door with branches, though something pulled in his gut, telling him to go back.

Perhaps, had he listened to it, he would’ve seen that green hoodie slip through the window...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any questions about the lore/world building I'm doing, feel free to ask in the comment section, I'll happily answer!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so late! We're about to get bad weather, so there probably won't be an update until next year.
> 
> Uh, slight tw of child abuse. Dream is not a good person in this series

He was halfway back to the house when he noticed the second set of footsteps. They were too big to be Wilbur’s (not that he was in a state to walk) and not hooved like Techno, but too small to be him…

And they were fresh.

In his haste, he dropped the buckets, choosing to run the rest of the way, the door off its hinges, broken  _ outwards _ , and one of the windows as smashed-

"Techno?!" He cried. No response. "Wilbur?!" When neither answered, he immediately pulled out his sword and stepped through the doorway.

He'd never forget the sight in front of him.

Wilbur and Techno were tied, back to back, the piglin hunched forward so Wilbur’s head didn't lean forward.

Sitting on a dining chair in front of the fireplace, feet on the table, was a man dressed in dark green hunting gear.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to come in," the stranger greeted, turning his head enough for Phil to see a white porcelain mask. Phil went to take a step forward, but before he could even move, the man was up and had a brown, if not purple looking sword under Techno's chin. "Dont," he mockingly advised. "Unless you want your precious ward's blood all over the place."

"Why are you doing this?" He gritted out.

"You crossed me first, coming here  _ uninvited. _ " The man sniffed. "And for what? To sit around and mope? To teach other hybrids useless skills when all that will happen in their lives is death?"

"You're a mutant," the blonde realized. "What is it then? Wolf, Jaguar?"

"Tch, as if I'd ever tell a thief." Wilbur let out a pained moan at the man's words, making him look at the boy. "It would be easier to put him out of his misery. Withers and their skeletons are such nasty creatures, their hybrids even more."

Fury filled Phil. "Touch him and you'll fucking regret it," he snarled, grip tightening on his sword.

"Temper, temper… maybe I ought to teach you a lesson in  _ peace _ ."

Both boys flew up into the air, with the man's hands behind, and he watched as the ropes slowly began to squeeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pog and kudos to the first person who can guess what type of hybrid Dream is supposed to be!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, we get another chapter today.

“No, please,” Phil choked out, feeling as if he was being squeezed with them. “ _Please_ ,”

The man hummed, and after another second, the two fell to the floor, Wilbur’s head making a sickening crack against the wood as he landed. “What would you give?” He asked. “What would you do for these two monsters?”

 _They’re not monsters_ , he thought, seeing the pained, panicked look on Wilbur’s feverish face, and how Techno’s was pale and fearful. “Anything. Please. _Please_.”

“Hmm…” suddenly, the man was in his face, mask shifted enough to see a glowing green eye. “A life… for a life,” he finally said. “You still have those, right? All three of them, perfectly intact and squeaky clean?”

“I’ve never died before,” he answered, unease building.

“Perfect! Let’s play a game then. Find the boys before sunrise, and you’ll all get to live happily ever after, _far, far_ away from here!”

There was a catch, there had to be. “And if I can’t?” He asked, and he swore the grin on the mask turned deadly.

“Then you all die!”

Before the words could properly register, Phil’s world went white, and he found himself stuck in a snowy tundra, a countdown across his arm, ticking away.

_12:00:00_

_11:59:59_

_11:59:21_

Phil looked up, seeing nothing but white around him.

* * *

Everything hurt and everything kept spinning.

Wilbur could hear a zombie moaning as he groaned, just as a pair of hands clamped over his mouth.

“Shh,” a woman’s voice murmured. “Don’t let it hear you.”

Or, at least, that’s what he thought she said. Some of her words were still odd, unknown. “Where?” he gasped out. “Phil? Techno?”

“I’m Claire,” she answered. “We’re trapped.” She said words he didn’t understand, but he could tell by the vials and pictures on the walls, wherever he was, it wasn’t good.

* * *

Techno did his best not to think about the Nether these days.

He sat in the cage, doing his best not to move as it threatened to swing with every tilt of his head. He wasn’t sure where exactly he was, only that the hunter had taken them away from the house, and Wilbur wasn’t doing good.

Taking a risk, he slowly stood, but his hoof slipped, causing him to flail-

The cage rocked, slamming him against the iron bars.

Techno did his best not to think about the Nether these days, but as he stared at the bubbling lava, he found it impossible not to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got 2 mobs mixed up when I thought what Dream should be a hybrid of. So he's gonna be a hybrid mix of the two. If you can guess one, rewards still apply.
> 
> A hint for what type of hybrid Dream is since no one has guessed it yet!  
> They've been in the game for a while now.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to PaintedDogfan and Fretor for guessing the two mobs Dream is a hybrid of! Evoker and Illusioner!

The first thing that clued Phil in on how bad the situation was, was the fact that wherever he looked, the green clan man was _everywhere_.

Even as he stumbled through the arctic tundra, passing snowdrift after snowdrift, he was still in front of, behind, and to the side of the blonde, as if he were in four places at once. Shaking his head, he could see something, a large mound of snow, built up into a circle, just like an igloo.

As he fumbled for the doorway, he could hear… he wasn’t sure what he heard, but it didn’t sound good.

* * *

The spinning didn’t get any better.

He could barely keep his eyes open, and in the tiny three-foot by three-foot cell, the undead moaning somewhere to his right, he found it even harder to stay quiet. “Cold,” he mumbled, making the woman put her hand on his forehead.

“You’re burning up,” she replied in the same tone. “Where’s your family?”

Phil always said that if someone asked, he’d say he was staying with his guardian, but he didn’t know where Phil was… “Dunno,” he mumbled. “Bad man,” His head bobbed, eyes heavy, and when the woman put her hand on the back of his head, she gasped.

“Stay awake,” she ordered, sounding distant. “ _Stay awake!_ ”

* * *

_Technobalance_

The piglin hybrid wanted to cry as the voices in his head almost got too much, chanting several different things, but the loudest ones were telling him to stand, to try and get to one of the rock edges through the rusty bars that he’d barely be able to swing through-

_TechnobalanceTechnosupportTechnobalance_

He did his best to ignore how the loud ones suspiciously sounded like his family, instead grasping one of the bars and slowly shuffling up, doing his best not to fall as his legs trembled as the cage swung.

As the movement stopped, he glanced up, towards one of the four, pillar-like outjets.

He had heard everything the man said; had heard Phil pleading for their lives, but there was something the hunter didn’t know.

Techno wasn’t willing to give up his second home.

Not if he had a say in it.


	18. Techno's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Techno won at 75 votes! Wilbur was in second place at 72, and Phil was in 3rd place with 55 votes.

There are many differences between the voices in Techno’s head and Techno himself, the biggest one no doubt being that the boy was not even officially four, while the voices were very easily teenagers, if not adults.

_Now it’s time for some blood for the blood god_

The piglin boy shook his head, world blurring for a second as a harsh pounding came and left in quick succession. Holding tighter onto the bars to keep his balance, he pressed his face against the cage, trying to see how large the lava pool really was.

He couldn’t tell, and as he swayed from one side to the other to try and rock it, even just a little, the metal chain supporting it let out a dangerous noise, something that he faintly remembered from before his grandfather had moved them to the fortress.

 _Continue_ , the voices urged. _Break free, get away._

He tested swaying from the other way, only to get the same results, making him shiver before going to the broken bar, which was on one of the sides with the outcrop.

His aunt had always swung from the top of the fortress to the nether floor with vines, and this had to be similar, right? If he held on until he could safely step off, he’d be ok.

Reaching out and grabbing either side of the cage, the boy did his best to build enough sway, but it barely lifted a foot.

_Outside_

_Technobalance_

Shaking his head again, he moved to squeeze out of the bars, but his hoof slipped, causing him to yell as he plummeted towards the lava pool…

Only to stop about an inch away, the masked man floating in front of him, on his stomach, hand under his chin as he stared at the hybrid boy. “I was wondering how long it would take,” he mused. “You’re far more interesting than that wither leaper, even if you are a bit runtish.”

A type of cold fury filled the piglin as the voices went quiet before a single one whispered.

_JFK_

The others began to echo it, and he found it hard to think, hard to see, hard to _breathe_.

The last thing before he blacked out was seeing a fearful, unmasked look and the sensation of _burning_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates from here on out will be once or twice a week now that my obligations are back from winter break.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now back to our regularly scheduled program

There were several Igloos grouped together, making a makeshift village. The way he found out?

The woman in the igloo he had initially found screamed, getting everyone else’s attention.

“Please, I’m just looking for my wards!” Phil yelled through the crowd, who went silent. “A man, with a green hood and mask, he took them. They’re sick and injured.”

A murmur ran through the crowd as the leader, dressed with the traditional circlet, stepped forward. “Four of our own have gone missing. We know of the man you described, but he protects us. To hear that he has taken your children, it makes me wonder; has he taken ours as well?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Maybe we can help each other. I have until sunrise to find them. Wilbur, he’s about this tall, black hair, brown eyes, pale skin. Techno, he’s…” at this, he hesitated. “He’s this tall, pink hair, red eyes.”

“An unusual combination,” one of the women murmured. “Sounds almost like a-”

“He’s just a kid,” Phil cut in. “They’re both just three.”

“No harm comes to hybrids in this village,” the leader promised. “We have much to speak of.” With a nod, Phil followed him into the larger, better-built hut.

* * *

“Hey, hey, kid, what’s your name?”

“Wilbur,” he mumbled.

“Wilbur, that’s a nice name. I’m Rayl.” He let out a small noise and leaned into her. “How old are you?”

“Three,” he mumbled.

“You’re the same age as Sally,” Rayl said. She said a few other things he didn’t quite catch, his ears ringing as his head pounded more and more.

* * *

He found himself waking up on a pile of wool, his back burning as the green hunter sat beside him. The mask was shattered, showing the man’s unremarkable face, but glowing green eyes.

“Why did you save me?” he found himself asking, and the man shrugged.

“You’re no use to me dead,” he finally said. “I can see the potential you hold; so much  _ more _ than the other. Even at this age, you hold yourself back.”

“Phil’s nice,” he said, his voice sounding a bit lame even to himself.

“Nice doesn’t get you far,” the man grinned, and it was a sharp look, one that promised pain. “The only language that’s universal is violence, kid. You have the knowledge, but refuse to use it.”

“What are you talking about?” Techno snapped. “I’m done with fighting; I don’t want to do wars!”

“You insolent child. Don’t you know? You don’t  _ get _ a choice. Not with the Blood God having chosen his champion.” His eyes shifted to red, and suddenly the voices overlapped.

_ Blood for the Blood God _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter break on my D&D games has ended, plus with me attempting to record youtube videos, I found it best if I shift this to update once or twice a week. I hope you guys understand and enjoy <3


	20. Intermission | The People He Depends On (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of five glimpses into the future that we'll get before Arc 2...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 20 chapters! I'm posting this Monday, January 11th so that way, next chapter can be the 18th. We're getting a sneak into Tommy's POV, as well as the future of this fic :)

When he first came into Dresump, there were only a few houses surrounding the portal.

Dream, alongside Sam, Alyssa, George, Sapnap, BBH, Ponk, and Punz, seemed friendly at first, but he couldn’t, _wouldn’t_ forget the ones he left. The ones who left him.

* * *

Philza, the kind, smiling man with wings as fragile as paper, yet stronger than obsidian itself. He had only been a baby when Phil had found him in a basket at his door, the tiny wings on his own back signaling why Phil had been chosen.

The blonde had did his best to juggle between the infant and five-year-olds, but as they grew older, Tommy learned that, sometimes, his best wasn’t always good enough.

* * *

“He’ll be back soon,” Wilbur had promised the seven-year-old, while Techno snorted from where he was adding potatoes to the pot. “Phil doesn’t leave for long when there’s a bad storm.

But there was no sign of the adult as the storm hit and raged.

Or the day after.

Tommy knew that if he hadn’t taught them how to cook, they’d be in trouble.

It was on the second day that Phil came back, out of breath, a small boy in his arms, about the same age as Tommy himself.

“Phil?” Techno asked, rising from where he was reading a book.

“I need a bath prepared!” He replied. “He was just in a box in the river beside the road.” Even though he didn’t quite understand the situation then, Tommy’s white wings fluttered nervously, seeing the boy’s chest unevenly rise up and down.

* * *

And that was how Tubbo joined their family of hybrids.

And then four years later, Phil vanished.

* * *

“Phil?”

The house, once a shack but expanded and upgraded to ensure everyone had enough room, echoed, sending a shiver down Tommy’s spine as he let his wings unfold, the now crimson-hued feathers raising a little.

“Phil, I’m back! Tubbo’s staying with Wil and Sally for a couple more hours. They were being too sweet, it was making me sick.”

Still no answer.

Frowning, the boy went upstairs, hesitating at the green door before knocking, the door swinging open as his knuckles barely brushed it.

The room was a wreck, everything torn apart as if there had been a struggle. Several of Phil’s gradient wings were strewn about, and on the bed, sitting far too innocently was a while porcelain mask, once shattered, but held together with gold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Tommy intermission will be chapter 40. Yes, I plan on Arc 1 being 95ish chapters long.
> 
> Ages:  
> Phil: 24-32  
> Techno: 5-16  
> Wilbur: 5-16  
> Tommy: 3 months-11 y/o
> 
> (Trying to make it to where Wilbur, Techno and Tommy are the same age as they currently are. Poor Phil tho, he has to take an age slowing potion xD)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating earlier this week; some stuff happened in the neighborhood.

With only an hour from dawn, they found a lead.

“Has anyone seen Rocco?”

Phil blinked as Maya, one of the mothers of the missing kids, spoke up. “Who?” he asked.

“The local cleric. He’s been ill for a couple of weeks now. I was going to check up on him when the sun rose.”

Wait, he heard about this before… It was an old scare tactic Pillagers used to do.

“Where is his house?” he demanded. “I think I know where some of the kids are.” _And hopefully, Techno and Wilbur are there…_

* * *

As it were, the cobwebs in the corners and walls told Phil everything, and the adventurer in him screamed.

“Help me lift the rug!” he ordered, and as they tossed it to the side, a piece of wood was more sunken in, just by the tiniest bit. “A trap door. This isn’t a house. It’s a zombie containment center.”

* * *

Rayl went quiet, and Wilbur’s head started to slip again, but he jolted, putting his head on her shoulder. “Stay quiet,” she murmured. “Don’t sleep.”

“What wrong?” he murmured

“He’s back,” she answered.

It was getting harder and harder for Wilbur to keep his eyes open, but as there was a horrible sound of metal breaking and a horrible stench.

And then, as his sight faded and his ears rang, a familiar voice screamed.

“ _Wilbur!_ ”

* * *

Techno let out a scream for the thousandth time, hands going to his hair and pulling as his vision went red and the voices grew tenfold.

“ _What did you do to me?!_ ”

The man didn’t reply, he wouldn’t. After he had unleashed the voices, he had flickered out of existence, leaving the boy alone on the cave floor, unable to even more as the voices craved blood, death, destruction, and many other things.

“ _Leave me alone!_ ”

He tugged a little harder on his hair, and the voices grew louder again.

As he laid on the stone, crying and screaming for beings who weren’t there to leave, he wondered, not for the first time, if Phil was ever going to find him.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be a purely Wilbur chapter :)

Phil, without a moment's hesitation, brought his sword down on the zombie in front of one of the two cells, kicking it to the side to kneel in front of the bars, his gaze on the pale boy in front of him.

He was too pale; too _still_ as the teenage girl let out a sob. “His head! His head is bleeding!”

“He must’ve hit it when the man dropped him,” Phil murmured, barely moving aside as they worked to pry the bars apart. As soon as it was open enough, he was handed Wilbur and the girl stepped out, she let out a sniff.

“T-There’s a hidden room,” she told him, her tone shaky. “Some man in a mask, he brought Wilbur here and then took some pink-haired boy into it. It sounded like it was some type of cave.”

* * *

The first thing he heard aside from the voices making his head pound was someone…

Calling his name?

“ _Techno?!_ ”

“Phil?” he whispered, and, just briefly, the voices went blissfully quiet, allowing him to breathe in… he didn’t know how long.

“ _Techno, where are you?_ ”

The voices were back, but murmuring to themselves as the boy slowly pushed himself up, legs shaking as he stumbled forward. “Phil!” There was a pause, and then a clatter, and he could hear someone running on stone, and for every shaky step he took, the growing blur in front of him took three.

His legs collapsed, but the blur -  _ Phil _ , caught him before he could even touch the group. “You’re ok now,” he murmured. “I got you.”

There was a snap, and everything went blissfully quiet again, making Techno go limp. “And just as dawn breaks too,”

“What did you do to him?!”

“I merely showed him the potential he has in becoming,” the man replied.

“He’s just a child!” He was pressed closer to Phil’s chest, and he could hear the hybrid’s heartbeat. “They’re both just children; they’re not even five!”

“Seldom are children left alone when it comes to war. You might not see it now, and won’t for a while, but I’ve been watching, observing. War is coming, Philza Watson, and when it does… whose side will you be on?”

“I want to see Wil,” he mumbled into the man’s shirt.

There was a pause and he felt the man jolt before he sighed, and relaxed a little. “Let’s go get Wil,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I'm not gonna say anything, but if anyone wants to make any fan art or anything, _I'd totally give you clout_~~  
>  I posted a youtube video! It's nothing special, just me playing some Bedrock deathrun.
> 
> https://youtu.be/DpbtVVNEo7I


	23. Wilbur's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Wilbur's mind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! it's been a busy week for me, between starting an SMP, recording and editing videos for it as well as possibly managing an SMP wide tiktok account. The last one is still in the works.
> 
> Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!

Pa was sad.

Ma was sad too, but even more so. She refused to look at him, and whenever she did, she’d always start crying. One time, she even ran from the room, leaving him and Pa in stunned silence.

“Does Ma hate me?” he asked one day as Pa helped him take care of Gegr, the family strider.

“No, Wil, your ma could never hate you,” he said with a sigh. “We’re just sad that you’re…” he trailed off, motioning towards the red rock around them. “That you’re here.”

“You… don’t want me here?” His eyes felt watery, and he could see Pa’s face go from panicked to… pained?

“Wil… what’s the last thing you remember?”

Frowning, the boy closed his eyes.

_His fever’s spiked-_

_Let them go!_

_You got a name kid?_

_WILBUR!_

Gasping, his eyes flew open. “I was sick! A man came, and he made me hit my head before sending me away. Rayl was there. She was nice. Phil found me just as I fell asleep.”

Pa’s face looked like Ma’s when she saw him. “Wil… Oh, my sweet boy…” Pa suddenly dropped to his knees and hugged him. “We did our best, I’m sorry.”

“Pa?” He asked.

“You… you didn’t fall asleep Wil. You… you died.”

 _Died…_ Faintly, he remembered Techno’s words, from before they got to go with Phil again. Died wasn’t good… Died meant gone. Forever. “But… what about Techno? And Phil?”

“They’re not here,” he murmured. A knot formed in Wilbur’s chest as he stared out over the lava lake, unable to comprehend what the adult had said.

“But… he promised we wouldn’t separate again…”

“Sometimes we can’t keep our promises,” his Pa tried, but the boy shook his head and struggled away from him.

“No!” he cried. “No, I don’t believe you! I want to go back. _I want to go back!_ ”

His feet started to turn to move, but he froze at the sight of green, a white mask tilted enough to reveal a singular, glowing eye. “So this is where you’ve gone to,” the man murmured. He reached out, placing a hand on the boy’s forehead, ignoring his flinch as his feet refused to move.

And on the 2nd week, 5th day of his come, Wilbur Soot woke up with fire in his eyes, and a wither in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMx-1XYKyC5fB6aFMUO7mw
> 
> give me clout, or don't, doesn't matter, lmao
> 
> Anyways, I'll see you next week with Phil's and Techno's reactions to Wilbur waking up!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur wakes up

Phil had barely slept when it came to looking after Wilbur. He did his best to still make sure Techno was safe, was welcomed, and made sure he knew how to read and write and-

And then the nightmares came.

Any sleep he had was filled with how he failed the boys, over and over, and if it wasn’t his memories, it was of that stupid man, and the idea that if he had followed a different one, his boys would’ve… they could’ve…

The door creaked open, and he lifted his head enough to see Tecno halfway in, frozen except for his ears, which were twitching nervously. “Techno?” he murmured. “What’re you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he answered, but his voice was… strained. It made the man pause and look closer. There were bags, far bigger than they had any right to be, under his eyes, making his breath catch.

“Nightmares?” He asked, and for a second, the boy tensed up, like he was about to run, but instead, he nodded. “Come here.” As the boy sat down next to him, she pulled the shaw over him, enough to cover, and sighed, looking at Wilbur before glancing at the boy beside him. “You wanna talk about it?”

He hesitated, before shaking his head, his hair falling into his eyes.

“That’s ok,” he instantly said. “Take your time. It doesn’t have to be now, just later. Don’t keep it in.”

Then, suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, making him tense.

Glancing around, he couldn’t see what would’ve made his senses go off. Techno was all curled up into his side, the windows and door were shut, Wilbur was looking at them with pure black eyes-

Wait

His head snapped back to Wilbur, who was looking right at him, head tilted.

“Phil?” He called, a ghostly, demonic echo underlying his voice. When the blonde didn’t immediately respond, the bow frowned. “Phil?” Swallowing, the man glanced towards Techno, who was much more alert than before. “ _You’re not Phil._ ”

“No, I am!” He blurted out. “Wil, it’s me, promise. Do you know where we are? How long do you think it’s been?”

“Phil has wings. Where are your wings?”

He paused before shuffling more towards the door, and after making sure, summoned his wings, noting how the boy’s eyes flickered for a brief second. Techno’s eyes were also on him, and he couldn’t stop his small smile as he stepped forward. “It’s me Wil,” he murmured. “Are you ok? Do you want some food?”

His eyes kept flicking before settling on brown, and a second later, he caught the boy as he launched himself at him. “Missed you,” he mumbled as the blonde sat beside Techno, pulling his wings around them.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed, and remember,
> 
> Subscribe to Technoblade-


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